California Republicans overhauled their delegate selection process today in a manner expected to help Donald Trump in 2024, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But the most interesting part of the story was what happened between two separate groups of pro-Trump protesters outside the event. Apparently confused by social media posts, they were denouncing the very action that the Trump campaign wanted.
And the best part is that they ended up trying to physically attack one another – outside a California Republican Party meeting at an Irvine hotel – until police intervened to cool them off.
Here’s how the Times reported the protest piece of the story.
“Tensions flared…with pro-Trump protesters denouncing the move (to change the delegate-selection process), police getting called and two factions nearly coming to fisticuffs,” the report said.
“Protesters wearing red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps and carrying American, Trump and ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ Gadsden flags gathered outside of the committee meeting, chanting Trump’s name and ‘America First!’ After they tried to enter the meeting and were blocked by security guards, Irvine police officers showed up and tried to cool emotions.”
The report continues:
“Later, two pro-Trump factions began screaming at each other, with one accusing the other of being white nationalists and the other responding that their foes supported open borders… They started jostling with one another and nearly came to blows until other protesters stepped between the two groups.”
Apparently, the Trump backers outside the meeting were no angrier than were the supporters of his rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, inside the room.
The state party changed its rules to provide that any candidate receiving more than 50 percent of its primary votes would win the entire 169-vote delegation. But if no single candidate met the 50% threshold, those 169 delegates are divided proportionally, which is closer to the past format.
Trump’s campaign, confident of hitting the 50 percent threshold, supported the move. Unsurprisingly, the change was blasted by Ken Cuccinelli, founder of the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, according to the Times.
“Smoke filled back rooms do not reflect the will of or benefit voters in any state. Yet across the country games are afoot to enhance the potential outcome of primary elections for one former president who half of the Republican electorate no longer wants as the party leader,” Cuccinelli said.
The most confusing part of the story is why Trump supporters were angry about the change advocated by his own campaign. The Times report offered this possibility:
“The protest was driven in part by fury and confusion sowed on social media, where far-right activists argued that Millan Patterson and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, who effectively controls the state party, were trying to derail Trump’s candidacy,” the Times reported.
IN OTHER NEWS: Trump uses profane remark to describe Biden at rally
“They are trying to change the laws so they can orchestrate a brokered convention at the National convention and steal the GOP nomination from Donald Trump,” Laura Loomer, a Trump supporter from Florida who has a history of spreading conspiracies to her large online following, wrote on Twitter on July 20. “We can’t allow [Millan Patterson] and [McCarthy] to get away with their deceptive rule changes that are designed to screw Donald Trump.”
Anna Bryson, an executive committee member and supporter of the change, was inside the meeting room but knew something problematic was occurring outside because she heard raised voices and then saw security guards race out of the room, the Times reported. Here was her advice to the Trump protesters:
“We have to fight for a vote at the polls. Not one another. Focus, people.”
